BRCC Student ArtWorks Spring 2017

Fine Arts Center Gallery
Through September 6

Features over 30 works by painting, drawing, ceramics, computer graphics, and photography students of faculty members John Bell, Jessica Martinkosky, Colleen Pendry, Claudia Furlow, and Jerome Sturm.

Isabella Hoi-Kee Kwok: painting and drawing student

When asked at the beginning of the semester what she wanted to accomplish in her art classes, Isabella wrote, “I want to see with my eyes and paint with my soul.” Many people who viewed her work would say she achieved just that.

“There is a lot going on in that painting,” said Greg Cook, BRCC coordinator of learning technologies, at the exhibit opening.

The assignment was to create a portrait in clothing, placing special emphasis on texture. Her painting depicts a scene she says she wouldn’t be brave enough to do in real life: go skinny dipping. Her bright orange dress swings in the breeze from a tree branch, her Western boots flop over next to her husband’s sky blue cowboy hat on the grass. The back of a dark-haired woman’s head peeks out of the water in the distance.

“The painting tells the story of a sunny day, everything is so free and happy,” Isabella explained.

Also featured in the exhibit, her charcoal drawing of two pillows tells a much different story. “The drawing has a feeling of being exhausted and depressed,” she said.

This is her first foray into the visual arts; she has always been involved in the performing arts. Quite accomplished in her native Hong Kong, she taught dance and also studied dance in New York. “I love art and music,” Isabella said. “I play piano and oboe. I love performing.”

Although this is her first semester at BRCC, she is very dedicated. She lives in West Virginia and commutes for two hours to get here. She and her husband operate a food truck, Truck 121, in Harrisonburg.

Karah Bunch: ceramics student

To say the least, having an example of your work from your first-ever art class in a student exhibition is exciting. That might explain the radiant smile on Karah’s face.

“Ceramics was relaxing, but it was also a lot of work,” said Karah. She is graduating from BRCC this May with a transfer degree with plans to head to Radford University in the fall. There, her sights will be set on a degree in Special Education and minors in American Sign Language and Social Work. She said she can envision using pottery as a good teaching tool with special education students.

Her piece in the exhibit is part of a group project (always challenging!), which was to create a totem pole detailing something “they each liked to do.” Karah made an orange and brown fish, brown tackle box, and blue fishing pole.

“I like to fish and hunt,” explained the 2015 Waynesboro High grad, with a smile. “I have lots of family in Highland County.”

What she enjoyed most about Blue Ridge was getting to meet new people in an environment that was very different from high school. “I’m a social person. I can talk with anybody,” she said.

Kinetic Gallery: Fundamentals of Design II students

Working in a variety of media, ART132 students explored problems that help develop understanding of and sensitivity to the use of three-dimensional design fundamentals. Students focused on the analysis of concepts as a basis for creating sculpture. They worked intuitively and thought critically to resolve problems relating to transforming diverse materials into 3-D art.